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This very brief introduction to the National Content Standard for RE in England aims in just 30 minutes to summarise the key elements of this important non-statutory guidance document launched in Autumn 2023 by the Religious Education Council of England and Wales. We will find out what it is, who it is for and how it might be used. 

Please note: This course is designed for those who working with schools providing advice and support such as advisers, curriculum leaders and those who already have some knowledge of RE policy in England.

This course provides an introduction to the concept of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and how you might teach about this concept in lessons for primary age pupils. It takes between 45 minutes to 1 hour to complete and you can pause and return to your work at any time.

What is a Religion
and Worldviews approach? Maybe you have heard the phrase and are unsure what it means.
Perhaps you have not heard the phrase at all. This course provides an
introduction to what is happening in Religious Education right now, covering
the most recent report into the subject and the thinking behind a new approach to teaching and learning in the subject.

You will
consider some background information about the subject to enable you to make
sense of the paradigm shift towards a Religion and
Worldviews approach. This approach asks us to think differently about knowledge:
to look at it from a variety of angles, or through various lenses, so that we
can investigate information at greater depth and consider different interpretations and ways of seeing.

This course
is for anyone with an interest in the subject; teachers and non-teachers,
parents, SACRE members, school leaders, governors… all welcome!

The course takes between approximately one hour and 90 minutes in total. You can pause and return to your work at any time.

Welcome to Digging deeper into a religion and worldviews approach course. You have gained a basic overview of the thinking behind the approach, and now you are ready to take it further. In this course you will consider in more detail the thinking behind a religion and worldviews approach through publications by Trevor Cooling and Kathryn Wright.  A range of practical teaching examples are given to help you to see what a religion and worldviews approach could look like in the classroom and how it is different to the current model. A religion and worldviews approach is more than a name change, it represents a paradigm shift. Whatever your response, this course will help you make sense of the arguments. 

The course takes approximately 90 minutes in total. You can pause and return to your work at any time.

This course offers an understanding of what curriculum is and the central role it plays in education.

This is a basic introduction to the purpose of the curriculum, the role of knowledge in the curriculum, progression and subject specialism in a religion and worldviews approach to RE. It is aimed at teachers, but others might find it useful and interesting, such as governors, SACRE members or educational researchers.

The course takes between approximately one hour and 90 minutes in total. You can pause and return to your work at any time.

Culham St Gabriel's 'Digging Deeper' level curriculum course is an opportunity to extend and deepen your understanding of and thinking about curriculum. Building on the ideas covered in the 'Introduction' level course, you will have the chance to critically engage with different visions of the purpose of the curriculum, the question of knowledge and models of assessment. As you think through these ideas you will consider practical examples of curriculum approaches in the classroom. 

This Introduction to Subject Knowledge course is an entry- level course for teachers thinking about subject knowledge in Religion and Worldviews. We consider the type of information explored in the subject of Religion and Worldviews, for all ages of pupils, and what sort of subject knowledge the teacher will be looking for. We find out what Ofsted recommend about handling our subject knowledge in the curriculum. We will consider different types of subject knowledge that teachers use for teaching, their benefits and examples in the curriculum. Through examples of the different types of subject knowledge we will think about how we can frame and handle knowledge to enhance teaching and learning in Religion and Worldviews.

Take your exploration of subject knowledge in Religion and Worldviews one step further with this Digging Deeper course. You will build on an exploration of different sources of subject knowledge, first encountered in the Introduction level Subject Knowledge course. Find out about the benefits of using scholarly sources of subject knowledge in order to avoid stereotypes. Further your understanding of subject knowledge which can be framed with different disciplinary questions. 

This course is aimed at teachers as a general introduction to educational research and its purpose for both the classroom and wider understanding.

It is also helpful preparation for those who are working towards the Chartered College of Teacher's ‘Chartered Teacher' status (CTeach).

The course takes between approximately one hour and 90 minutes in total. You can pause and return to your work at any time.

After exploring the basics of educational research and how it can support classroom practice, you are ready to extend your understanding and knowledge with this Digging Deeper level course. In this course you will develop your thinking further around the idea encountered in the Introduction course. Through examples and lots of opportunities for reflection and evaluation, we consider how different types of evidence can support classroom practice in different ways, and ask what does it mean to ‘critically engage’ with research?

This course is focused on classroom practitioners, but is for anyone who wants to deepen their knowledge and understanding of research in Religion and Worldviews education. The course takes between one hour and 90 minutes to complete.

Introducing a religion and worldviews approach

This is the first of three short courses designed for Primary ITE students and ECTs. The courses are aimed at ITE however mentors, more experienced teachers and RE subject leads will find much here that is useful. Anyone is welcome to take these courses.  

These courses are free. Students will study by themselves, with a peer or as part of a group to supplement any RE input received on training. The courses could be monitored by a course tutor or mentor, or managed individually.

The courses provide initial, essential information about the subject and signpost future avenues of support and research.  The three courses are:

1: Introduction to Religion and worldviews 

2: Teaching and Learning for Primary Beginning Teachers

3: Subject knowledge for Primary Beginning Teachers 

This course is designed to take between and hour and 90 minutes to complete. There is an optional task which may be completed outside the course of watching a lesson. 

This is the second of three short course designed for Primary ITE students and ECTs. The other two are:

Course 1 - Introducing a religion and worldviews approach for primary beginning teachers

Course 3 - Subject Knowledge for Primary Beginning Teachers

Subject Knowledge for Primary Beginning Teachers

This course is designed to take between and hour and 90 minutes to complete. There is an optional task which may be completed outside the course of sourcing subject knowledge. 

This is the third of three short course designed for Primary ITE students and ECTs. The other two are:

Course 1 - Introducing a religion and worldviews approach for primary beginning teachers

Course 2 - Teaching and Learning for Primary Beginning Teachers

This course was retired on 1st July 2024. It has been replaced with an updated version Introducing a religion and worldviews approach. If you have already enrolled on this original Introduction to religion and worldviews course it is still available for you to complete. It is unavailable for new enrolments.

What is a Religion
and Worldviews approach? Maybe you have heard the phrase and are unsure what it means.
Perhaps you have not heard the phrase at all. This course provides an
introduction to what is happening in Religious Education right now, covering
the most recent report into the subject and the thinking behind a new approach to teaching and learning in the subject.

You will
consider some background information about the subject to enable you to make
sense of the paradigm shift towards a Religion and
Worldviews approach. This approach asks us to think differently about knowledge:
to look at it from a variety of angles, or through various lenses, so that we
can investigate information at greater depth and consider different interpretations and ways of seeing.

This course
is for anyone with an interest in the subject; teachers and non-teachers,
parents, SACRE members, school leaders, governors… all welcome!

The course takes between approximately one hour and 90 minutes in total. You can pause and return to your work at any time.

This course was retired on 1st August 2024. It has been replaced with an updated version Digging deeper into a religion and worldviews approach. If you have already enrolled on this original Introduction to religion and worldviews course it is still available for you to complete. It is unavailable for new enrolments.

Welcome to the Digging Deeper level Religion and Worldviews course. You have gained a basic overview of the thinking behind the new Religion and Worldviews approach, and now you are ready to take it further. In this course you will consider in more detail the thinking behind Religion and Worldviews through publications by Trevor Cooling and Kathryn Wright.  A range of practical teaching examples are given to help you to see what a Religion and Worldviews approach could look like in the classroom and how it is different to the current model. A Religion and Worldviews approach is more than a name change, it represents a paradigm shift. Whatever your response, this course will help you make sense of the arguments. 

The course takes approximately 90 minutes in total. You can pause and return to your work at any time.